The Buddhism of Tibet flourished in its homeland for more than a thousand years, but was virtually unknown beyond its Himalayan borders. However, because of the enforced exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and so many of his people since the Communist Chinese incursion, this living, spiritual tradition is now open and accessible, and grows anew in the rest of the world. For forty years, Tibetans have been rebuilding the infrastructure of their religion in India and Nepal and it is there that thousands of people have met and studied with Tibetan masters and made the Buddhist way of life their own. The FPMT Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, together as teacher and disciple since their exile in India, met their first Western student in 1965 and by 1971 had settled at Kopan, near Kathmandu in Nepal. Due to demand, they began teaching Buddhist philosophy and meditation to increasing numbers of travellers, who in turn started groups and centers in their own countries. In 1975 Lama Yeshe named this fledgling network the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition. Now, more than one hundred centers and other activities make up the FPMT and it grows yearly. Serving Others "This organization," said Lama Yeshe in 1975, "is for all mother sentient beings. Its main aim is to help Dharma knowledge-wisdom to develop in the human consciousness. This is the only reason to exist." The "Dharma knowledge-wisdom" that Lama Yeshe refers to is a state of utter clarity and contentment and, according to Mahayana Buddhism, this irreversible and continuous experience of inner liberatioin, coupled with boundless altruistic love and compassion, is the potential of every living being. Attempting to help human beings fulfill this potential are the individuals, meditation groups, monasteries, retreat centers, communities, health and healing centers, publishing houses and businesses that are the FPMT. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is now the Spiritual Director of the Foundation and oversees all of its activities. In its efforts to work for the benefit of others, the FPMT strives to follow the example of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his compassionate service to humanity. Two years after Lama Yeshe passed away, a Spanish child, Osel Hita Torres, was recognized as his reincarnation. Born in February, 1985 to students of Lama Yeshe and ordained as a novice monk by the Dalai Lama at the age of three, Tenzin Osel Rinpoche has now commenced his studies and training as a monk and future master to prepare him to continue the work he started in his previous life. Study and Meditation The majority of the FPMT centers are set up around the central activities of study and meditation, providing the means for their students to hear the teachings and meditate upon them. Centers offer weekly meditation sessions, weekend courses and retreats of various lengths. More serious students can enroll in our intensive study programs which are based on the commentaries of Atisha, Tsong Khapa and other great masters, following a lineage which goes back directly to the Buddha. Sixteen centers have resident Tibetan lamas and all have qualified students--monks, nuns or lay people--who function as teachers. Meditation Retreat Ideally, a practitioner would take time at least once a year for intensive retreat: a week, a month or longer. Retreat sharpens the clarity of one's mind and strengthens one's compassionate wish to work for others. Many of the centers, especially those in the countryside, have retreat facilities. Centers like O-Sel-Ling in Spain, for example, are set up specifically for retreat and have lamas in residence to guide retreaters. Communities Some of the centers, like Vajrapani in America, Vajra Yogini in France, Istituto Lama Tsong Khapa in Italy, Maitreya Instituut in Holland and Tara Institute in Australia have resident communities and help to provide facilities for people to study and meditate. Community living is an opportunity to practice intensively among fellow Buddhists and gives the chance to serve the needs of others. Monastic Life There are also communities specifically for monks and nuns: Kopan, Nalanda and Takden Shedrup Targye Ling for monks and the Chenrezig Nuns Community and Kachoe Ghakyil Nunnery. The ordained sangha have played a crucial part in keeping alive and passing on the lineages of teachings and practice since the time of the Buddha himself, so ordination is respected and nurtured among Buddhists. Publishing Publishers such as Wisdom in America and Ediciones Dharma in Spain and others in Germany, Holland, Italy and France translate, edit, publish and distribute books to thousands of readers. If you are interested in further reading, please request a list of available books. Health and Healing The FPMT seeks to integrate Buddha's teachings with the relief of physical as well as mental suffering. Maitri Leprosy Centre, for example, runs nine clinics for the prevention and treatment of leprosy in the Bodh Gaya region of Bihar, India. Four groups in Australia are working toward creating hospices for the dying. Land of Medicine Buddha in America operates as a healing center using Buddhist purification practices as its basis. Special Projects A project close to Lama Yeshe's heart was the building of a magnificent statue of Maitreya--the future Buddha--in Bodh Gaya, the place where Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment. Now in the planning and design stage, the statue will be in a specially-created meditation grove. Lama Zopa Rinpoche has dedicated the project to "bringing peace and harmony to the world." Financial Support The work of all the centers is non-profit. Support comes from donations from individual benefactors, rent from accomodation, in-house businesses such as shops, cottage industries such as chocolate-making and flower-selling, and from membership. Invaluable support for many of the Foundation's projects comes from businesses set up and managed by students such as Shine in Italy and SFE Systems in Hong Kong. Mandala: Journal of the FPMT The Foundation's International Office publishes Mandala, a four-color, 96-page magazine, which captures the life and times of this vibrant Tibetan Buddhist organization. Mandala is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. It is distributed internationally by subscription and is also available on newsstands. Mandala's editorial policy is to always convey the power and relevance of the Buddha's teachings – ‘Buddhism in Our Time.’ “We offer people what we have,” said Lama Thubten Yeshe, one of the founders of FPMT, “that is, the combined knowledge of Buddha's teachings and the modern way.” To receive Mandala you can subscribe directly by sending US$22 (add $US6 for international postage outside the US) to FPMT Inc, PO Box 888, Taos, NM, 87571, USA, or you may subscribe online at a secure website www.mandalamagazine.org Membership of the FPMT As of 2002, there are more than 135 centers in 31 countries around the world. Mandala contains a comprehensive listing of these centers, but for an up-to-date listing check www.fpmt.org FPMT International Office PO Box 888 Taoa, New Mexico 87571 USA Phone: 505 758-7766 Fax: 505 758-7765

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